White Househttp://www.businessinsider.com/category/white-house
en-usFri, 09 Dec 2016 11:04:30 -0500Fri, 09 Dec 2016 11:04:30 -0500The latest news on White House from Business Insiderhttp://static3.businessinsider.com/assets/images/bilogo-250x36-wide-rev.pngBusiness Insiderhttp://www.businessinsider.com
http://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-accuses-china-massive-theft-intellectual-property-unfair-taxing-tawian-2016-12'They haven't played by the rules': Trump accuses China of 'massive theft of intellectual property' and unfairly taxing US companieshttp://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-accuses-china-massive-theft-intellectual-property-unfair-taxing-tawian-2016-12
Fri, 09 Dec 2016 10:07:37 -0500Noah Friedman
<p>Following his controversial phone call with the President&nbsp;Taiwan, President-elect Donald Trump called out China&nbsp;on a number of accusations including "massive theft of intellectual property."&nbsp;</p>
<p><strong>Follow BI Video:</strong>&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/BI_Video"><span>On Twitter</span></a></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-accuses-china-massive-theft-intellectual-property-unfair-taxing-tawian-2016-12#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/america-first-kids-college-obama-kennedy-carter-clinton-bush-nixon-white-house-2016-12Here's where America’s 'first kids' went to collegehttp://www.businessinsider.com/america-first-kids-college-obama-kennedy-carter-clinton-bush-nixon-white-house-2016-12
Thu, 08 Dec 2016 13:12:26 -0500Jacqui Frank and Abby Jackson
<p><span>Malia Obama has </span><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/malia-obama-picks-2016-4">chosen to attend Harvard University</a><span> in the fall of 2017. <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/where-the-children-of-presidents-went-to-college-2016-5/#amy-carter-brown-university-1988-did-not-graduate-7" target="_blank">We took a look back at the college choices of first kids</a><span>&nbsp;who were teenagers or young adults when their parents lived in the White House, as far back as President John F. Kennedy.</span></span></p>
<p><span><span><strong><strong>Follow BI Video:</strong><span>&nbsp;</span><a href="https://twitter.com/BI_Video?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor" target="_blank">On&nbsp;Twitter</a></strong></span></span></p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/america-first-kids-college-obama-kennedy-carter-clinton-bush-nixon-white-house-2016-12#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/carrier-union-leader-boss-donald-trump-lied-usw-chuck-jones-cnn-jobs-mike-pence-2016-12Trump fires back at union leader who alleged he 'lied his a-- off' about Carrier dealhttp://www.businessinsider.com/carrier-union-leader-boss-donald-trump-lied-usw-chuck-jones-cnn-jobs-mike-pence-2016-12
Thu, 08 Dec 2016 10:34:49 -0500Noah Friedman, Chris Sanchez and Bryan Logan
<p>A local union leader involved with Carrier said Donald Trump&nbsp;was dishonest about the number of jobs saved by the highly-touted deal made with United Technologies to keep the plant from moving to Mexico.</p>
<p><strong>Follow BI Video:</strong>&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/BI_Video"><span>On Twitter</span></a></p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/carrier-union-leader-boss-donald-trump-lied-usw-chuck-jones-cnn-jobs-mike-pence-2016-12#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/presidents-leadership-lessons-robert-gates-defense-secretary-2016-12Former defense secretary shares leadership lessons from 5 US Presidentshttp://www.businessinsider.com/presidents-leadership-lessons-robert-gates-defense-secretary-2016-12
Wed, 07 Dec 2016 15:31:29 -0500Graham Flanagan
<p><span>Former Secretary of Defense Dr. Robert Gates stopped by Business Insider to talk about his new book "</span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/030795949X/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=030795949X&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=thebusiinsi-20&amp;linkId=4Z7S4P3W55SJGVTC">A Passion For Leadership: Lessons on Change and Reform From Fifty Years of Public Service.</a><span>"<br><br></span><span>Over the course of his long career in government, Gates served under numerous US presidents. We asked him to share the leadership lessons — both positive and negative — he learned from them along the way.</span><br><em><br></em><strong>Follow BI Video: <a href="http://twitter.com/bi_video">On Twitter</a></strong></p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/presidents-leadership-lessons-robert-gates-defense-secretary-2016-12#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/cuban-trump-draft-pick-2016-12CUBAN: 'Trump is our No. 1 draft pick'http://www.businessinsider.com/cuban-trump-draft-pick-2016-12
Wed, 07 Dec 2016 13:58:55 -0500Allan Smith
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/584857cae02ba72a008b7e7a-817/screen%20shot%202016-12-07%20at%2014021%20pm.png" alt="Mark Cuban" data-mce-source="Screenshot/CNBC" data-mce-caption="Mark Cuban."></p><p>Billionaire businessman Mark Cuban provided an apt analogy for President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday: an NBA team's top draft pick.</p>
<p>Cuban, the owner of the NBA's Dallas Mavericks and star of ABC's "Shark Tank" took questions from CNBC after his testimony in front of a congressional subcommittee regarding the Time Warner-AT&amp;T merger.</p>
<p>Naturally, he was asked about the president-elect, whom he <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/mark-cuban-clinton-trump-debate-2016-9" target="_blank">campaigned against during the general election</a> as he became a prominent surrogate for Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.</p>
<p>Cuban, who recently wrote that he was <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/mark-cuban-why-trump-won-2016-11" target="_blank">"dumb enough" to think he could convince people</a> not to vote for Trump, told CNBC that "Donald Trump is our No. 1 draft pick." Cuban was asked about how business executives should view Trump's deal to <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/trump-carrier-deal-2016-12" target="_blank">keep jobs at a Carrier plant</a> in Indiana and his <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/boeing-shares-fall-trump-air-force-one-2016-12" target="_blank">comments aimed at Boeing</a>.</p>
<p>"I'll analogize it to the NBA draft: He's the No. 1 pick," Cuban said. "He's who we put our hopes and dreams with, and we're going to believe in him. Right now it's a little bit easier because we haven't played a game yet."</p>
<p>"There's no reason to rush to judgment or come to any conclusions now," he continued. "Let's see what happens starting January 21 and go from there. I hope he's a superstar, and I hope everything turns out the way we all hope it will. But until January 21, there's no real point at going into detail."</p>
<p>Cuban was also asked about his meeting last month with Steve Bannon, Trump's controversial incoming White House chief strategist.</p>
<p>"That's not a topic for now," Cuban said. When pressed further, he said they discussed "coffee."</p>
<h3>Watch part of the interview:</h3>
<p><div>
<blockquote class="twitter-video" data-lang="en">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Mark Cuban, asked about photo of him &amp; Steve Bannon having coffee together, laughs and then veers off into another topic <a href="https://t.co/33EoZ48mvM">pic.twitter.com/33EoZ48mvM</a></p>— Steve Kopack (@SteveKopack) <a href="https://twitter.com/SteveKopack/status/806558621299523584">December 7, 2016</a>
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</div></p><p><strong>SEE ALSO:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/trump-trade-war-enemy-2016-12" >TRUMP: 'We have to look' at trade 'almost as a war'</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/cuban-trump-draft-pick-2016-12#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-morning-ritual-election-ego-president-2016-12">Donald Trump's 'strange' morning habit tells you everything you need to know about him</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-defends-twitter-tweets-restrained-interview-nbc-today-show-matt-lauer-2016-12Matt Lauer asks Trump if he's having a 'difficult time' being more restrained on Twitterhttp://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-defends-twitter-tweets-restrained-interview-nbc-today-show-matt-lauer-2016-12
Wed, 07 Dec 2016 11:32:05 -0500Noah Friedman
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">NBC News&rsquo; Matt Lauer asked Donald Trump is he was having trouble being more restrained on Twitter, after being criticized for his continued use to share his opinion, and attack opponents.</span></p>
<p><strong>Follow BI Video:</strong>&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/BI_Video"><span>On Twitter</span></a></p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-defends-twitter-tweets-restrained-interview-nbc-today-show-matt-lauer-2016-12#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/trump-trade-war-enemy-2016-12TRUMP: 'We have to look' at trade 'almost as a war'http://www.businessinsider.com/trump-trade-war-enemy-2016-12
Tue, 06 Dec 2016 21:59:22 -0500Allan Smith
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/58476ff5e02ba75d658b6ce5-2206/ap16342069900106.jpg" alt="Donald Trump" data-mce-source="AP Photo/Gerry Broome" data-mce-caption="Donald Trump." /></p><p>President-elect Donald Trump said Tuesday night in North Carolina that the US should view trade "almost as a war."</p>
<p>Trump promised the&nbsp;<span>Fayetteville crowd during the second leg of his "Thank You Tour" that his administration would renegotiate trade deals and "defeat the enemy on jobs."</span></p>
<p>"And we have to look at it almost as a war, because that's what's happened to us," the president-elect&nbsp;said.&nbsp;"That's what's happened to our workers."</p>
<p>Trump's use of the word "war" might worry political leaders who have repeatedly expressed concern that the president-elect's tough talk on trade could ignite a trade war with another country.</p>
<p>On Monday, for instance,&nbsp;<span>House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy declined to support Trump's&nbsp;proposal to <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/trump-warns-that-companies-leaving-the-us-will-face-retribution-2016-12" target="_blank">impose a 35% tariff</a> on companies that leave the US, saying he didn't "want to get into some type of trade war."</span></p>
<p><span>The president-elect has previously dismissed the idea of a trade war.</span></p>
<p><span>&ldquo;These dummies say, &lsquo;Oh, that&rsquo;s a trade war.&rsquo; Trade war? We&rsquo;re losing $500 billion in trade with China. Who the hell cares if there&rsquo;s a trade war?&rdquo; Trump rhetorically asked an&nbsp;audience&nbsp;in May.<br /></span></p>
<p>Throughout the&nbsp;campaign, Trump promised to be tough on trade, going as far as to say&nbsp;during a rally earlier this year that the landmark Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement between 12 Pacific Rim nations would lead to "a&nbsp;continuing rape of our country."</p>
<p>Since taking office, Trump&nbsp;and&nbsp;Indiana Gov. and Vice President-elect Mike Pence <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/trump-carrier-factory-indiana-jobs-mexico-2016-11" target="_blank">cut a deal with Carrier</a> that provided the company with $7 million in tax incentives over 10 years to keep roughly 1,000 jobs, a portion that were set to be exported to Mexico, at an Indianapolis plant.&nbsp;</p>
<p>In his speech on Tuesday night, the president-elect also reiterated his promise to punish companies that "fire their workers" and "leave our country."</p>
<p>"And if a company wants to fire their workers, leave our country, and then ship their products back into the country, there will be consequences," Trump&nbsp;told the crowd. "I'm sorry, there will be consequences. Big consequences."</p>
<p>Trump&nbsp;took aim at China as being a main culprit for the loss of many manufacturing jobs in the US, and said the country is "living through the greatest jobs theft in the history of the world."</p>
<p>"There's never been a jobs theft like what's happened to this country," he continued before mentioning the deal with Carrier. "And we stopped some of it, a little bit, because we started, we just started."</p>
<p>Trump also pointed to voters who supported his tough-on-trade rhetoric, which was likely a major&nbsp;reason he was able to pull out victories in Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin</p>
<p>"Boy did they come out to vote," he said. "Remember when they said they don't exist? They existed! They existed! Believe me ... Millions and millions of people poured out to the voting booths. And they voted big league."</p>
<p>The next stop on Trump's "Thank You Tour" is set for Thursday in Des Moines, Iowa.</p><p><strong>SEE ALSO:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/jeff-bewkes-time-warner-first-amendment-democrats-trump-2016-12" >TIME WARNER CEO: The 'real threat' to the First Amendment came from Democrats, not Trump</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/trump-trade-war-enemy-2016-12#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-election-president-social-media-restrained-60-minutes-twitter-2016-11">Trump goes on a tweetstorm less than 48 hours after promising to be more 'restrained' on Twitter</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/tapper-pence-flynn-jr-pizzagate-2016-12Jake Tapper refuses to let Mike Pence off the hook during intense questioning on Michael Flynn's sonhttp://www.businessinsider.com/tapper-pence-flynn-jr-pizzagate-2016-12
Tue, 06 Dec 2016 20:04:46 -0500Allan Smith
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static5.businessinsider.com/image/58474ba0ba6eb671018b7dc3-1286/screen%20shot%202016-12-06%20at%2063600%20pm.png" alt="Jake Tapper" data-mce-source="Screenshot/CNN" data-mce-caption="Jake Tapper."></p><p>CNN's Jake Tapper confronted Vice President-elect Mike Pence during a Tuesday interview, grilling the head of President-elect Donald Trump's transition team over whether he was aware that Michael Flynn's son — who is in hot water over spreading a conspiracy theory that led someone to bring a rifle into a Washington DC pizza shop — had a security clearance requested for him.</p>
<p>Tapper <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2016/12/06/politics/trump-transition-michael-flynn-conspiracy-theories/index.html" target="_blank">reported earlier Tuesday</a> that a source familiar with the situation said Trump's transition team requested a security clearance for Michael Flynn Jr., and that Trump <a href="https://twitter.com/jaketapper/status/806236146430779393" target="_blank">gave a direct order</a> to remove him from transition effort.</p>
<p>A <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/michael-flynn-jr-pizzagate-trump-transition-2016-12" target="_blank">firestorm ensued</a> Monday over Flynn Jr.'s <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/jake-tapper-pizzagate-michael-flynn-son-2016-12">promotion of the "pizzagate" conspiracy theory</a>, which baselessly alleged through a conspiracy that a pedophilia ring involving high-level Democratic Party officials — including Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton's campaign chair, John Podesta — was operating out of a Washington pizzeria called Comet Ping Pong.</p>
<p>On Sunday, police say, the conspiracy theory <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/r-gunman-enters-washington-restaurant-hit-by-fake-news-reports-2016-12" target="_blank">led an armed man</a> to go to the pizzeria. The 28-year-old man carried an assault rifle to the restaurant and was looking to investigate the story himself, according to police.</p>
<p>"Until #Pizzagate proven to be false, it'll remain a story," <a href="https://twitter.com/mflynnJR/status/805611056009768960" target="_blank">Flynn Jr. posted to Twitter</a>. "The left seems to forget #PodestaEmails and the many 'coincidences' tied to it."</p>
<p>As of Monday, Flynn Jr. had a government transition email, <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2016/12/05/politics/kfile-flynn-transition-email/index.html" target="_blank">CNN reported</a>. Flynn himself also shared a similar conspiracy theory on Twitter days before the November election that claimed <a href="https://twitter.com/GenFlynn/status/794000841518776320" target="_blank">Clinton was involved in sex crimes</a> with children. Politico on Tuesday found that the incoming national security adviser <a href="http://www.politico.com/story/2016/12/michael-flynn-conspiracy-pizzeria-trump-232227" target="_blank">had shared dubious news stories</a> at least 16 times from his Twitter account since August.</p>
<p>During his interview with Pence, Tapper asked the vice president-elect to tell him "what happened" regarding Flynn Jr., who was said to have "no longer" been involved in the Trump transition effort by transition spokesman Jason Miller during a Tuesday conference call. Pence said on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" Tuesday that Flynn Jr. had "no involvement in the transition team whatsoever" as of that morning.</p>
<p>Pence insisted that Flynn's son was helping "a bit" with "scheduling and administrative items" but "that's no longer the case."</p>
<p>"Look, all — all of our families want to be helpful," Pence said, <a href="https://twitter.com/SopanDeb/status/806275626982404096" target="_blank">per a transcript</a>. "And four weeks to the day from Election Day there's been an awful lot of work to do. But — but — but Mike Flynn Jr. is no longer associated with Gen. Flynn's efforts or with the transition team."</p>
<p>"You — you're downplaying his role, but you must be aware that the transition team put in for a security clearance for Michael G. Flynn, the son of Lt. Gen. Flynn," Tapper responded.</p>
<p>"Well, I'm — I'm aware in talking to Gen. Flynn that — that his son was helping with scheduling," Pence said back. "Jake, his — his."</p>
<p>Tapper cut in.</p>
<p>"No, but you put in for a security clearance for him," he said.</p>
<p>"He's helping his dad arrange for meetings and provide meetings," Pence retorted. "But that's no longer the case."</p>
<p>Tapper fired back, asking if you need a security clearance to "do scheduling?"</p>
<p>"I think that's the appropriate decision for us to move forward, avoid any further distraction," Pence replied, then reiterating his confidence in Trump.</p>
<p>"I want to move on to other issues, but I'm afraid I just didn't get an answer, which is were you aware that the transition had put in for a security clearance for Michael Flynn Jr.?" Tapper persisted.</p>
<p>"You know, I've worked very closely with Gen. Flynn," Pence said. "We've met on many occasions. I've — I've never — I've never seen his son present for any of those meetings."</p>
<p>"But you're head of the transition team so you know who you put in security clearances for," Tapper pressed on.</p>
<p>"Well — well, Gen. — Gen. Flynn did inform me that his son was helping on administrative matters," the Indiana Republican said. "But — but, Jake, this is all the kind of distraction that — that, frankly, I know, with all due respect, the national media likes to go chasing after."</p>
<p>Tapper pushed forward with the line of questioning an additional time.</p>
<p>"The last question on this sir — and I'm sorry, it's just that you're not answering the question, which is were you aware that the transition team had put in for a security clearance?" Tapper asked. "I mean this is a young man who had a social media profile that had all sorts of crazy conspiracy theories ... all sorts of links and retweets with white supremacists. Were you aware that the transition put in for a security clearance for him?"</p>
<p>"Well, what I can tell you is that in — in talking with Gen. Flynn today, he made me aware that his son was assisting him in scheduling ..." Pence answered.</p>
<p>"And then you put in for a security clearance," Tapper interjected.</p>
<p>Pence then launched into an extended answer:</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">" ... meetings and well whatever the appropriate paperwork was to assist him in that regard. Jake, I'm sure ... was taking place. But that's no longer the case. And your viewers and the American people can be confident that we're going to — we're going to continue to drive forward.</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">Look, this is a very challenging time for America's place in the world. It was a week ago yesterday that we saw a terrorist-inspired attack on the Ohio State campus. We're bringing together with — with Gen. Flynn, with KT McFarland, with a team that's going to surround them and advise this president, people that are going to, going to set into motion. I'm confident, [in] the policies that will — that will make America safe again at home and abroad."</p>
<p>"And it was just two days ago that we saw somebody with a gun go to Comet Pizza because of this crazy conspiracy theory that Michael G. Flynn had been putting out there, defended afterwards, and you guys put in for a security clearance," Tapper responded.</p>
<h2>Watch part of the interview below:</h2>
<p><div>
<blockquote class="twitter-video" data-lang="en">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Mike Pence: Michael Flynn's son is "no longer associated" with the transition team <a href="https://t.co/6OZtrfIwim">https://t.co/6OZtrfIwim</a> <a href="https://t.co/yFchL5ecYs">https://t.co/yFchL5ecYs</a></p>— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) <a href="https://twitter.com/CNNPolitics/status/806243701395701762">December 6, 2016</a>
</blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/jake-tapper-pizzagate-michael-flynn-son-2016-12" target="_blank">Tapper confronted Flynn Jr. on Twitter Sunday</a> following the armed man entering the pizzeria and Flynn Jr.'s subsequent defense of the conspiracy. He apparently direct-messaged Flynn Jr. on the app, asking for one piece of evidence proving that the pizza shop was "the site of a satanic pedophilia cult." Those direct messages were posted by <a href="https://twitter.com/JackPosobiec/status/805631581490548736" target="_blank">another user</a>.</p>
<p>"Michael — the police called pizza gate a fictitious conspiracy theory tonight," Tapper wrote. "Does someone have to die before you take this s--- seriously. Spreading this nonsense is dangerous."</p>
<p>"I want it to be false," Flynn Jr. responded.</p>
<p>"It is not the site of a satanic pedophilia cult," Tapper shot back. "It is a f------ pizzeria. Show me what you're talking about that proves a satanic pedophilia cult. Your tweet is wildly irresponsible. Listen to me. You are going to get someone killed. Maybe an innocent child. For what??????"</p>
<p>Flynn Jr. later posted another screenshot of a DM thread with Tapper with the caption, "Want evidence??? I must've really hit a nerve."</p><p><strong>SEE ALSO:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/michael-flynn-jr-pizzagate-trump-transition-2016-12" >Trump team says Michael Flynn's son 'no longer involved' in transition after firestorm over fake-news controversy</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/tapper-pence-flynn-jr-pizzagate-2016-12#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/president-barack-obama-donald-trump-journalists-white-house-meeting-press-2016-11">Obama gives Trump advice during their first White House meeting</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/john-kasich-trump-electors-electoral-college-2016-12KASICH: 'Well-meaning' anti-Trump electors should 'not vote for me'http://www.businessinsider.com/john-kasich-trump-electors-electoral-college-2016-12
Tue, 06 Dec 2016 15:13:37 -0500Allan Smith
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/58470ebfba6eb61c008b7cc4-2400/undefined" alt="John Kasich" data-mce-source="Alex Wong/Getty Images" data-mce-caption="John Kasich." /></p><p>Presidential electors should not peel away from their Electoral College commitments to vote against President-elect Donald Trump, Ohio Gov. John Kasich said&nbsp;in a Tuesday <a href="https://twitter.com/JohnKasich/status/806209819950665730" target="_blank">statement</a>.</p>
<p>"I am not a candidate for president and ask that electors not vote for me when they gather later this month," Kasich said in a statement posted to his Twitter account. "Our country had an election and Donald Trump won."</p>
<p>"The country is divided and there are certainly raw emotions on both sides stemming from the election," he continued. "But this approach, as well meaning as it is, will only serve to further divide our nation when unity is what we need. The election is over. Now is the time for all of us to come together as Americans."</p>
<p>The statement came in response to a group of Colorado and Washington state electors that were considering an effort to convince Republican electors to abandon Trump and cast their votes for Kasich.</p>
<p>The group, <a href="http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/308843-electoral-voters-trying-to-block-trump-presidency-pick-kasich" target="_blank">reported by&nbsp;Politico as the self-proclaimed "Hamilton Electors,"</a> are made up of Democrats and see Kasich, a 2016 Republican presidential hopeful, as a leading compromise pick to convince Republican electors.</p>
<p>The group would have to convince 37 Republican electors to join them in order to reach 270 electoral votes, if all Democratic electors were to join in. The group claims to have convinced one elector to abandon Trump so far.</p>
<p>Kasich did not endorse Trump following the Republican primary, <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/797823553244712960" target="_blank">but did call</a> to congratulate him following his victory in November.</p><p><strong>SEE ALSO:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/polls-wrong-trump-clinton-why-2016-11" >'Polls might not be capable of predicting elections': How everyone blew it on Trump's huge upset</a></strong></p>
<p><strong>SEE ALSO:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/can-the-electoral-college-make-hillary-clinton-president-instead-trump-how-2016-11" >Millions are petitioning the Electoral College to make Hillary Clinton president — here's why that probably won't happen</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/john-kasich-trump-electors-electoral-college-2016-12#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/law-prohibits-trump-naming-children-cabinet-ivanka-jared-kushner-2016-11">Why Ivanka can't serve in a Trump cabinet</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/michael-flynn-jr-pizzagate-trump-transition-2016-12Trump team says Michael Flynn's son 'no longer involved' in transition after firestorm over fake-news controversyhttp://www.businessinsider.com/michael-flynn-jr-pizzagate-trump-transition-2016-12
Tue, 06 Dec 2016 12:28:32 -0500Allan Smith
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/5846ebb6ba6eb67d058b7b3f-2103/undefined" alt="Michael Flynn" data-mce-source="Kevin Hagen/Getty Images" data-mce-caption="Michael Flynn." /></p><p>President-elect Donald Trump's transition team said in a Tuesday conference call with reporters that retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn's son is "<a href="https://twitter.com/ZekeJMiller/status/806163728014200836">no longer involved</a>"&nbsp;in the Trump transition effort.</p>
<p>Trump transition spokesman Jason Miller said Flynn's son, Michael Flynn Jr., was helping his father with administrative and scheduling duties. The elder Flynn is Trump's incoming national security adviser.</p>
<p>It came a day after a firestorm over Flynn Jr.'s <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/jake-tapper-pizzagate-michael-flynn-son-2016-12">promotion of the "pizzagate" conspiracy theory</a>, which baselessly alleged through fake news stories that a pedophilia ring involving high-level Democratic Party officials &mdash; including Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton's campaign chair, John Podesta &mdash; was operating out of a Washington pizzeria called Comet Ping Pong.</p>
<p>On Sunday, police say, the conspiracy theory <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/r-gunman-enters-washington-restaurant-hit-by-fake-news-reports-2016-12" target="_blank">led an armed man</a> to come to the pizzeria. The 28-year-old man brought an assault rifle to the restaurant and was looking to investigate the story himself, according to police.</p>
<p>"Until #Pizzagate proven to be false, it'll remain a story," <a href="https://twitter.com/mflynnJR/status/805611056009768960" target="_blank">Flynn Jr. posted to Twitter</a>. "The left seems to forget #PodestaEmails and the many 'coincidences' tied to it."</p>
<p>As of Monday, Flynn Jr. had a government transition email, <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2016/12/05/politics/kfile-flynn-transition-email/index.html" target="_blank">CNN reported</a>. Flynn himself also shared a similar conspiracy theory on Twitter days before the November election that claimed <a href="https://twitter.com/GenFlynn/status/794000841518776320" target="_blank">Clinton was involved in sex crimes</a> with children. Politico on Tuesday found that the incoming national security adviser <a href="http://www.politico.com/story/2016/12/michael-flynn-conspiracy-pizzeria-trump-232227" target="_blank">had shared dubious news stories</a> at least 16 times from his Twitter account since August.</p>
<p>Earlier Tuesday, Vice President-elect Mike Pence told MSNBC's "Morning Joe" that Flynn Jr. has "no involvement in the transition team whatsoever."</p><p><strong>SEE ALSO:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/jake-tapper-pizzagate-michael-flynn-son-2016-12" >Michael Flynn’s son spars with Jake Tapper over fake 'pizzagate' story that led armed man to go to restaurant</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/michael-flynn-jr-pizzagate-trump-transition-2016-12#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/armed-man-washington-dc-comet-pizzeria-fake-news-pizzagate-conspiracy-2016-12">A fake news story led to a shooting at a pizzeria in Washington DC</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/poll-carrier-deal-trump-2016-12POLL: The Carrier deal has proven to be a big win for Trumphttp://www.businessinsider.com/poll-carrier-deal-trump-2016-12
Tue, 06 Dec 2016 11:37:32 -0500Allan Smith
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/5846e079ba6eb69a018b7a98-2400/undefined" alt="Donald Trump" data-mce-source="Ty Wright/Getty Images" data-mce-caption="Donald Trump." /></p><p>A <a href="https://morningconsult.com/2016/12/06/carrier-deal-political-winner-trump-poll-shows/" target="_blank">Morning Consult/Politico poll published Tuesday</a> found&nbsp;that President-elect Donald Trump was viewed more favorably after announcing a deal with Carrier that led to roughly 1,100 jobs staying in the US.</p>
<p>The poll found that 60% of voters surveyed viewed Trump more favorably following the deal, including a whopping 89% of Trump voters and 32% of voters who cast ballots for Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.</p>
<p>Four in 10 Democrats and&nbsp;54% of independents said they now&nbsp;view Trump in a better light following the deal, which kept some of the jobs set to move to Mexico at the company's Indianapolis plant.</p>
<p>Trump's team negotiated the deal directly with Carrier, which reportedly received about $7 million in tax incentives over a 10-year period to keep the jobs in the Hoosier State,&nbsp;home of Vice President-elect Mike Pence.</p>
<p>Additionally, 56% of voters said it was appropriate for a president to negotiate directly with a company on a case-by-case basis, and 62% said they approve of a president offering tax breaks and incentives to individual businesses if it led to jobs remaining in the US.</p>
<p>The deal has come under fire from some free-market conservatives, such as former Alaska Gov. <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/palin-trump-carrier-deal-2016-12" target="_blank">Sarah Palin</a> &mdash; a top Trump ally &mdash; who likened it to "crony capitalism."</p><p><strong>SEE ALSO:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/polls-wrong-trump-clinton-why-2016-11" >'Polls might not be capable of predicting elections': How everyone blew it on Trump's huge upset</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/poll-carrier-deal-trump-2016-12#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-election-supporters-protests-racial-discrimination-2016-11">'Stop it!': Trump tells his supporters to end racial discrimination after the election</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/jeff-bewkes-time-warner-first-amendment-democrats-trump-2016-12TIME WARNER CEO: The 'real threat' to the First Amendment came from Democrats, not Trumphttp://www.businessinsider.com/jeff-bewkes-time-warner-first-amendment-democrats-trump-2016-12
Tue, 06 Dec 2016 11:05:19 -0500Allan Smith
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/5846d8c3ba6eb64e018b7190-1286/screen%20shot%202016-12-06%20at%20102610%20am.png" alt="Jeff Bewkes." data-mce-source="Screenshot/Business Insider" data-mce-caption="Jeff Bewkes."></p><p>Time Warner CEO Jeff Bewkes told Business Insider's Henry Blodget on Tuesday that the "real threat" to the First Amendment did not come from President-elect Donald Trump during the campaign, but rather from the Democratic Party.</p>
<p>Bewkes was speaking at Business Insider's annual IGNITION conference, during which he was asked about Trump's <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/trump-first-amendment-libel-2016-10" target="_blank">frequent campaign threats to open up libel laws</a>.</p>
<p>Trump has also set his sights on Bewkes' own media property, CNN, which he consistently ridiculed along the campaign trail and <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/cnn-fights-trump-baseless-voter-fraud-claims-2016-11" target="_blank">even after Election Day</a>.</p>
<p>"Do you worry about that at all?" Blodget asked.</p>
<p>Bewkes said he didn't "think that's a serious thing," adding that "we should all worry" if someone were seeking to change the First Amendment. He suggested that came from the Democratic Party, which "had a campaign plank to change the First Amendment, and they were doing it in the guise of campaign finance reform."</p>
<p>"And that was worrying me more," Bewkes said. "The press tends to miss that because they tend to lean that way, and therefore they were supporting what they were viewing — I think overly charitably — as something in cleaning up money in politics when in fact what it would do is restrain multiple voices."</p>
<p>Democrats, including Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, vowed to engage in campaign finance reform following the election — a cause that has been bolstered in recent years by the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision. The 2010 ruling deemed that corporations and labor unions were people who could flex First Amendment rights in contributing to campaigns, and it led to the advent of so-called super PACs.</p>
<p>"So I thought the real threat to the First Amendment came from the Democrats' side more," Bewkes said. "There's not going to be a serious effort on the Republican side."</p>
<p><strong>Watch the clip below:</strong></p>
<p><strong><div>
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<p> </p><p><strong>SEE ALSO:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/polls-wrong-trump-clinton-why-2016-11" >'Polls might not be capable of predicting elections': How everyone blew it on Trump's huge upset</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/jeff-bewkes-time-warner-first-amendment-democrats-trump-2016-12#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-remove-donald-trump-twitter-2016-12You can remove all references of Donald Trump from Twitter — here's how to do ithttp://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-remove-donald-trump-twitter-2016-12
Mon, 05 Dec 2016 14:59:13 -0500Ben Gilbert
<p>President-elect Donald Trump has <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump">nearly 20 million Twitter followers</a>, and he tweets often. <div>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
<p>
If the press would cover me accurately &amp; honorably, I would have far less reason to "tweet." Sadly, I don't know if that will ever happen! </p>— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/805804034309427200">December 5, 2016</a>
</blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div></p>
<p>His presence on the platform can be hard to avoid — whether it's people re-tweeting his statements, people arguing with him, people celebrating him, or any other manner of things, Twitter is a social network where Trump towers.</p>
<p>For many users that's fine, but some folks are using Twitter's new filtration tools to remove Trump's oversized impact on their feed.<div>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
<p>
twitter with trump blocked is great <a href="https://t.co/lypZWoa304">pic.twitter.com/lypZWoa304</a> </p>— Owen 💁 (@ow) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/805804890442305536">December 5, 2016</a>
</blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div></p>
<p>Here's how they're doing it.</p><p><strong>SEE ALSO:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/a-new-chrome-extension-completely-filters-donald-trump-off-your-internet-2016-1" >A new Chrome extension completely filters Donald Trump off your internet</a></strong></p>
<h3>As of mid-November, Twitter users now have much stronger filtration tools.</h3>
<img src="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/5845bd13e02ba75e658b67f5-400-300/as-of-mid-november-twitter-users-now-have-much-stronger-filtration-tools.jpg" alt="" />
<br/><br/><h3>You can filter by word, phrase, username, and hashtag. You can even filter emoji!</h3>
<img src="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/5845c02ee02ba71b008b786f-400-300/you-can-filter-by-word-phrase-username-and-hashtag-you-can-even-filter-emoji.jpg" alt="" />
<br/><br/><h3>It's really easy to add filters. Just go to the Settings menu (click on your Profile picture):</h3>
<img src="http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/5845c088e02ba71c008b78de-400-300/its-really-easy-to-add-filters-just-go-to-the-settings-menu-click-on-your-profile-picture.jpg" alt="" />
<br/><br/><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-remove-donald-trump-twitter-2016-12#/#when-you-get-there-click-on-the-muted-words-menu-on-the-left-side-4">See the rest of the story at Business Insider</a> http://www.businessinsider.com/jake-tapper-pizzagate-michael-flynn-son-2016-12Michael Flynn’s son spars with Jake Tapper over fake 'pizzagate' story that led armed man to go to restauranthttp://www.businessinsider.com/jake-tapper-pizzagate-michael-flynn-son-2016-12
Mon, 05 Dec 2016 13:24:21 -0500Allan Smith
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/5845a0fcba6eb66d268b7514-2400/undefined" alt="Michael Flynn" data-mce-source="Drew Angerer/Getty Images" data-mce-caption="Michael Flynn." /></p><p>Retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn's son sparred with CNN's Jake Tapper on Twitter over the "pizzagate" conspiracy that <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/r-gunman-enters-washington-restaurant-hit-by-fake-news-reports-2016-12" target="_blank">led an armed man into a Washington, DC, pizza shop Sunday</a>.</p>
<p>Flynn's son, Michael Flynn Jr., vehemently defended the story, which baselessly alleged&nbsp;that a pedophilia ring involving high-level Democratic Party officials &mdash; including Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton's campaign chair, John Podesta &mdash; is operating out of a Washington pizzeria called Comet Ping Pong.</p>
<p>Flynn is President-elect Donald Trump's incoming national security adviser.</p>
<p>The&nbsp;conspiracy led a 28-year-old man to bring an assault rifle to the restaurant on Sunday,&nbsp;police said. They said the gunman was looking to investigate the story himself.</p>
<p>"Until #Pizzagate proven to be false, it'll remain a story," <a href="https://twitter.com/mflynnJR/status/805611056009768960" target="_blank">Flynn Jr. posted to Twitter</a>. "The left seems to forget #PodestaEmails and the many 'coincidences' tied to it."</p>
<p><span>That's when Tapper apparently began to direct message Flynn Jr. on the app, asking for one piece of evidence proving that the pizza shop was "the site of a satanic pedophilia cult." Those direct messages were posted by <a href="https://twitter.com/JackPosobiec/status/805631581490548736" target="_blank">another user</a>.</span></p>
<p><span>"Michael &mdash; the police called pizza gate a fictitious conspiracy theory tonight," Tapper wrote. "Does someone have to die before you take this s--- seriously. Spreading this nonsense is dangerous."</span></p>
<p><span>"I want it to be false," Flynn Jr. responded.</span></p>
<p><span>"It is not the site of a satanic pedophilia cult," Tapper shot back. "It is a f------ pizzeria. Show me what you're talking about that proves a satanic pedophilia cult. Your tweet is wildly irresponsible. Listen to me. You are going to get someone killed. Maybe an innocent child. For what??????"<br /></span></p>
<p><span>Flynn Jr. later posted another screenshot of a DM thread with Tapper with the caption, "Want evidence??? I must've really hit a nerve."</span></p>
<p><span></span>Flynn Jr. has a government transition email, <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2016/12/05/politics/kfile-flynn-transition-email/index.html" target="_blank">as CNN reported</a>. Flynn also shared a similar conspiracy theory on Twitter days before the November election that claimed <a href="https://twitter.com/GenFlynn/status/794000841518776320" target="_blank">Clinton was involved in sex crimes</a> with children.</p><p><strong>SEE ALSO:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/polls-wrong-trump-clinton-why-2016-11" >'Polls might not be capable of predicting elections': How everyone blew it on Trump's huge upset</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/jake-tapper-pizzagate-michael-flynn-son-2016-12#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-election-president-social-media-restrained-60-minutes-twitter-2016-11">Trump goes on a tweetstorm less than 48 hours after promising to be more 'restrained' on Twitter</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/trump-twitter-media-coverage-2016-12TRUMP: 'I would have far less reason to tweet' if the media covered me 'honorably'http://www.businessinsider.com/trump-twitter-media-coverage-2016-12
Mon, 05 Dec 2016 11:27:01 -0500Allan Smith
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/58458fdcba6eb605688b678e-2400/undefined" alt="Donald Trump" data-mce-source="Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images" data-mce-caption="Donald Trump." /></p><p>President-elect Donald Trump tweeted Monday that he'd have "far less" of a reason to use Twitter if he received what he believed to be more fair coverage.</p>
<p>"If the press would cover me accurately &amp; honorably, I would have far less reason to 'tweet,'" Trump tweeted. "Sadly, I don't know if that will ever happen!"</p>
<p>Trump used the social-media platform to bash NBC's "Saturday Night Live" as "unwatchable" and "totally biased" for a skit in which Alec Baldwin impersonated the Manhattan billionaire and his tweeting habits.</p>
<p>"The Baldwin impersonation just can't get any worse. Sad!" Trump tweeted.</p>
<p>He also used Twitter recently to defend himself for what he described as a congratulatory from the president of Taiwan. The call, which broke decades of US foreign-policy orthodoxy, was the first communication between the leaders of the two countries since 1979 and risked angering the Chinese government.</p>
<p>As is typically the case when Trump criticizes the media, he did not point out anything that was inaccurately reported but merely sowed doubt about whether the media was being forthcoming regarding its coverage of him.</p><p><strong>SEE ALSO:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/polls-wrong-trump-clinton-why-2016-11" >'Polls might not be capable of predicting elections': How everyone blew it on Trump's huge upset</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/trump-twitter-media-coverage-2016-12#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/jon-stewart-reacts-election-results-critiques-liberals-2016-11">'That hypocrisy is also real' — Jon Stewart takes liberals to task for calling all Trump supporters racist</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/controversial-quotes-ben-carson-politics-election-abortion-gay-marriage-2016-12The 7 most controversial quotes by Ben Carsonhttp://www.businessinsider.com/controversial-quotes-ben-carson-politics-election-abortion-gay-marriage-2016-12
Mon, 05 Dec 2016 09:15:00 -0500Lamar Salter
<p>President-elect Donald Trump has <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/trump-nominates-ben-carson-secretary-housing-urban-development-2016-12">nominated Ben Carson</a> as the next Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.</p>
<p>The retired neurosurgeon and former presidential candidate is known for his outspoken nature and controversial opinions. Here are seven of his most headline-making remarks.</p>
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<p> </p>
<p> </p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/controversial-quotes-ben-carson-politics-election-abortion-gay-marriage-2016-12#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/palin-trump-carrier-deal-2016-12'Republicans oppose this, remember?': Sarah Palin slams Trump for 'crony capitalism' Carrier dealhttp://www.businessinsider.com/palin-trump-carrier-deal-2016-12
Fri, 02 Dec 2016 18:21:25 -0500Allan Smith
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static5.businessinsider.com/image/5841f9b8ba6eb604688b6594-2400/undefined" alt="Sarah Palin" data-mce-source="Kris Connor/Getty Images" data-mce-caption="Sarah Palin." /></p><p>Sarah Palin criticized President-elect Donald Trump on Friday&nbsp;for a&nbsp;deal he struck with Carrier this week, condemning&nbsp;it as "crony capitalism."</p>
<p>In an op-ed <a href="http://www.youngcons.com/sarah-palin-but-wait-the-good-guys-wont-win-with-more-crony-capitalism/" target="_blank">for the Young Conservatives website</a>, Palin wrote that Republicans oppose the kind of government deal making Trump and Vice President-elect Mike Pence made with the company to keep approximately 1,100&nbsp;jobs at an Indianapolis plant from migrating to Mexico, joining in with a chorus of conservatives who have said it violates free market principles.</p>
<p>"Foundational to our exceptional nation&rsquo;s sacred private property rights, a business must have freedom to locate where it wishes," wrote Palin, the 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee. "In a free market, if a business makes a mistake (including a marketing mistake that perhaps Carrier executives made), threatening to move elsewhere claiming efficiency&rsquo;s sake, then the market&rsquo;s invisible hand punishes."</p>
<p>"Thankfully, that same hand rewards, based on good business decisions," she continued. "But this time-tested truth assumes we&rsquo;re operating on a level playing field. When government steps in arbitrarily with individual subsidies, favoring one business over others, it sets inconsistent, unfair, illogical precedent."</p>
<p>The deal included the state of Indiana offering Carrier $7 million in tax subsidies over 10 years to keep some of the jobs that were planned to be exported in the state.</p>
<p>Palin wrote that the "illogical precedent" leads to special interests manipulating markets.</p>
<p>"Republicans oppose this, remember?" she wrote. "Instead, we support competition on a level playing field, remember? Because we know special interest crony capitalism is one big fail."</p>
<p>She continued, adding that the "picking and choosing" which companies receive "corporate welfare" is roiled by fiscal conservatives and is a "hallmark of corruption" and "socialism."</p>
<p>"A $20 trillion debt-ridden country can&rsquo;t afford this sinfully stupid practice, so vigilantly guard against its continuance, or we&rsquo;re doomed," she said, adding, "However well meaning, burdensome federal government imposition is never the solution. Never. Not in our homes, not in our schools, not in churches, not in businesses."</p>
<p>Noting that she said you "gotta' have faith the Trump team knows all this," she said she'd be "the first" to say that the concerns are "unfounded" once the terms of the deal are made public, if those terms disprove her allegation of "crony capitalism."&nbsp;Earlier in the op-ed, she also said she was "ecstatic" for Carrier employees.</p>
<p>"But know that fundamentally, political intrusion using a stick or carrot to bribe or force one individual business to do what politicians insist, versus establishing policy incentivizing our ENTIRE ethical economic engine to roar back to life, isn&rsquo;t the answer," she wrote, adding, "The lines strangle competition and really, really, dispiritingly screw with workers&rsquo; lives."</p>
<p>Palin announced her support for Trump in a lengthy speech earlier this year, and is currently under consideration by Trump for a cabinet position.</p><p><strong>SEE ALSO:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/trump-mnuchin-ross-ricketts-treasury-commerce-economy-2016-12" >'This is not a roster that says 'the economy is rigged'': Meet the economic leadership team Trump is building</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/palin-trump-carrier-deal-2016-12#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/law-prohibits-trump-naming-children-cabinet-ivanka-jared-kushner-2016-11">Why Ivanka can't serve in a Trump cabinet</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/white-house-statement-on-obama-interest-in-media-2016-12White House: Obama is 'interested in the changing ways people consume info,' but not starting a media companyhttp://www.businessinsider.com/white-house-statement-on-obama-interest-in-media-2016-12
Fri, 02 Dec 2016 16:42:27 -0500Alex Lockie
<p><img src="http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/582e0293e02ba738018b4f5d-2400/ap16313646315084.jpg" alt="barack obama white house us president" data-mce-source="Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP" data-link="http://www.apimages.com/metadata/Index/2016-Election-Obama/baef92e5299d437fb25f73cd5e442cc4/218/0" /></p><p></p>
<p>The White House's director of communications, <a href="https://twitter.com/Psaki44" target="_blank">Jen Psaki</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/Psaki44/status/804786019686117376" target="_blank">tweeted on Friday</a> that Obama "is interested in the changing ways people consume info, but he has no plans to get into the media business after he leaves office."</p>
<p>Psaki&nbsp;was likely responding to&nbsp;<a href="https://mic.com/articles/161028/obama-considering-post-presidential-digital-media-career-sources-say#.JSQSfaPwj" target="_blank">a story posted Friday on Mic.com</a>&nbsp;that "Obama<span> has been discussing a post-presidential career in digital media and is considering launching his own media company.</span>"</p>
<p>The Mic story, citing&nbsp;<span>multiple anonymous sources,</span>&nbsp;said&nbsp;that Obama met with Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Lima, Peru last month to discuss his ambitions in the media industry.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Psaki's tweet, however, seemed to rule that out.</p>
<p>The Obamas&nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/heres-where-the-obamas-are-moving-2016-11" target="_blank">recently bought&nbsp;a house in the Kalorama section of Washington, DC</a>&nbsp;and will live there after Donald Trump&nbsp;is inaugurated on January 20.</p><p><strong>SEE ALSO:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/kellyanne-conway-trump-clinton-harvard-2016-12" >Kellyanne Conway responds to report of clash between Clinton's and Trump's campaign aides</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/white-house-statement-on-obama-interest-in-media-2016-12#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/obama-washington-dc-president-white-house-kalorama-2016-11">Here’s the $5.3 million mansion the Obamas will live in after the White House</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/trump-mnuchin-ross-ricketts-treasury-commerce-economy-2016-12'This is not a roster that says 'the economy is rigged'': Meet the economic leadership team Trump is buildinghttp://www.businessinsider.com/trump-mnuchin-ross-ricketts-treasury-commerce-economy-2016-12
Fri, 02 Dec 2016 14:44:44 -0500Bob Bryan and Allan Smith
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static5.businessinsider.com/image/584193c4ba6eb67d058b7268-2400/undefined" alt="Steve Mnuchin" data-mce-source="Drew Angerer/Getty Images" data-mce-caption="Steve Mnuchin." /></p><p>President-elect Donald Trump appointed three of his top economic Cabinet members this week, selecting people who hold traditional Republican economic values that don't exactly embody the disruptive nature that the real-estate mogul championed for months on the campaign trail.</p>
<p>Trump selected Steven Mnuchin for treasury secretary, Wilbur Ross as commerce secretary, and Todd Ricketts as Ross' deputy.</p>
<p>"He's been running this [transition] somewhat like 'The Apprentice,' but in the end he chooses people much like himself," Robert Shapiro, an adviser to the International Monetary Fund and former under secretary of commerce for economic affairs under President Bill Clinton, told Business Insider. "It's becoming kind of a billionaire's club."</p>
<p>Shapiro said it was "interesting" that Trump selected people who were more entrepreneurial than corporate risers. He explained it showed "this is not a roster that says 'the economy is rigged and we're going to un-rig it for working people.'"</p>
<h2>Who they are</h2>
<p>Each of Trump's nominees has a long history in business and amassed a great deal of wealth.</p>
<p>Mnuchin is the son of a Goldman Sachs banker, and he worked at the financial institute himself for 17 years, leading the mortgage-lending department during his time at the bank. Since leaving Goldman, Mnuchin worked for Eddie Lampert &mdash; a hedge fund manager and now the CEO of Sears &mdash; and George Soros, a liberal mega-donor often the target of conservative ire, before starting his own private equity fund, Dune Capital Management.</p>
<p>The investor also led the purchase of mortgage lender IndyMac in 2009 during the depths of the financial crisis. The firm, which changed its name to OneWest after the acquisition, was charged with discriminatory lending practices and <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/ap-trump-voter-lost-her-home-to-new-treasury-secretary-2016-12" target="_blank">overly aggressive foreclosure tactics</a> during Mnuchin's time as its owner.</p>
<p>Ross has spent most of his life working with distressed companies facing bankruptcy and restructuring, and he is known for his work with failed steel and coal companies. He worked for 25 years at Rothschild as an adviser before founding his own investment firm in 2000, and he's long been a supporter of deregulation.</p>
<p><img src="http://static5.businessinsider.com/image/5841b22fba6eb637008b7374-2400/undefined" alt="Donald Trump and Todd Ricketts" data-mce-source="Drew Angerer/Getty Images" data-mce-caption="Donald Trump and Todd Ricketts." /></p>
<p>Ricketts is the son of TD Ameritrade founder Joe Ricketts and his family has owned the Chicago Cubs since 2009. During the Republican primary campaign, when the Ricketts family was providing millions to anti-Trump efforts, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/trump-todd-ricketts-deputy-commerce-secretary-2016-11" target="_blank">the president-elect attacked them</a>, claiming they had "a lot to hide" before the two sides settled their differences.</p>
<p>Both Mnuchin and Ross were early supporters of Trump during the campaign. All three must be confirmed for their cabinet posts by the Senate.</p>
<p>"These are people who have profited enormously from the distortions in the financial sector in recent years," Shapiro said. "This is very friendly to those on Wall Street who tend to strike out on their own. And those who succeed.</p>
<p>"So this is very friendly to kind of freelance financiers," he added. "And in that sense, one would expect it to be hostile to financial regulation. Now, that's a traditional position of part of the Republican Party. What it is not is populist in any sense."</p>
<p>Anthony Scaramucci, co-managing partner of SkyBridge Capital and a member of Trump's transition team, told reporters Friday it was "unfair" to say Trump was simply picking the ultra-wealthy to fill these slots.</p>
<p>"I'll say something to all of you guys that I think the American people need to hear ... he's really evaluating talent and so if people in the United States have lived the American dream and have been able to amass that kind of wealth, well certainly they're super talented or in what the president-elect says they're actually killers," he said during a gaggle at Trump Tower, according to a pool report.</p>
<p>"What you'll find about some of the nation's billionaires, it's not like they have their money located in a swimming pool in $100 bills. Their money is actually in their businesses, they're in the capital accounts, the capital equipment structure of their businesses and they're putting people to work in those businesses."</p>
<p><span>Scaramucci</span> said the "demonization of success" needs to "sort of end."</p>
<p>"And so if you're putting people in trade and treasury or commerce as an example that are super successful, I think the American people should get the assurance that they picked a leader whose judgment they can trust and respect," he said. "So I really want to push back very strongly on this whole billionaire criticism. Why is it so bad to be a billionaire, OK?"</p>
<h2>What they want to do</h2>
<p>With the selection of Mnuchin, Ross, and Ricketts, it appears that much of Republican orthodoxy on economic issues will be brought to bear.</p>
<p>In an interview with CNBC on Wednesday, Mnuchin said that the top priority for the team is cutting taxes, especially for companies.</p>
<p>"And to get there our number one priority is tax reform," Mnuchin said. "This will be the largest tax change since Reagan."</p>
<p>The goal of the administration is to bring the corporate tax rate down to 15% from its current rate of 35%. Mnuchin said that would inspire companies to bring more cash back from overseas and spur economic growth with domestic spending.</p>
<p>Individual taxes would come down as well, according to Mnuchin. For wealthier Americans, however, the possible new head of the Treasury Department said total tax payouts would not change due to the administration closing various tax loopholes, though he did not cite what loopholes it would go after.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Austan Goolsbee, a professor of economics at the University of Chicago's Booth School of Business and formerly a top economic adviser to President Barack Obama who served on the Council of Economic Advisers, told Business Insider in an email "such a heavy corporate background&nbsp;likely means a high importance shifts to Congress&nbsp;in determining policy details," particularly regarding Mnuchin.</p>
<p>Goolsbee added he thought Mnuchin might be in the mold of Paul O'Neill or John Snow, two men who served as treasury secretaries under President George W. Bush.</p>
<p>"I would think [Mnuchin] would be likely in the bully pulpit/public approach similar to pre-crisis business types in the job like [O'Neill]&nbsp;or [Snow]," he wrote.&nbsp;"If he wanted to get into details of something, probably the easiest would be executive order/regulatory enforcement things like inversion rules, SIFI (systemically important financial institution)&nbsp;designations, that sort of thing."&nbsp;</p>
<p><img src="http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/583ca289ba6eb602688b5723-1214/screen shot 2016-11-28 at 43106 pm.png" alt="Wilbur Ross Trump" data-mce-source="REUTERS/Mike Segar" data-mce-caption="U.S. President-elect Donald Trump looks on as Wilbur Ross departs after their meeting at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey, U.S., November 20, 2016" /></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-trade-agenda-2016-11" target="_blank">On trade</a>, Ross lines up closely with Trump&nbsp;regarding his opposition to the landmark Trans-Pacific Partnership multinational trade agreement between 12 Pacific Rim nations, calling the deal "horrible" and adding the administration will be skeptical of larger regional trade deals, instead preferring deals with individual nations.</p>
<p>Mnuchin said the Trump White House will "look at" labeling China a currency manipulator, as <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-trade-agenda-2016-11" target="_blank">Trump has promised to do from the onset of his presidency</a>.</p>
<p>But in 2015, Ross signed a letter with fellow notable businessmen in support of TPP, <a href="http://money.cnn.com/2016/12/02/news/economy/kfile-wilbur-ross-tpp/index.html" target="_blank">as CNN reported</a>, and also said in 2012 that China "bashing" is "widely overdone in this country."</p>
<p>Regardless of his agreement or disagreement with Trump on trade, Shapiro said&nbsp;dealing with a Commerce Department that doesn't support his trade policies won't be an issue for Trump.</p>
<p>"Well, the fact is that the Commerce Department has significant role in promoting US exports ... it does not have a significant role in imports," he said. "There is an international trade commission that sits inside the Commerce Department, but the president has the authority to impose tariffs, and he doesn't need Congress and he frankly doesn't need the Commerce Department."</p>
<h3>The economic impact</h3>
<p>During the campaign, Trump promised that GDP&nbsp;growth would hit 4%. Mnuchin appeared to agree, telling CNBC he expected "sustained" 3% to 4% growth.</p>
<p>According to economists, the plan laid out by Mnuchin, Ross, and Ricketts could be a boon for the corporate sector in particular.</p>
<p>The outlook for corporate earnings in 2017 is $131 per share, according to analysts at S&amp;P Global Market intelligence. Even if the Trump administration doesn't deliver on the 20-percentage-point reduction in the tax rate, companies could see a massive positive, according to&nbsp;the&nbsp;analysts' report.</p>
<p>It read:</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">"Accordingly, every one percent reduction in the corporate income tax rate could add back about $1.31 to anticipated 2017 S&amp;P 500 earnings. A five percent reduction in the effective tax rate could hypothetically increase next year&rsquo;s S&amp;P 500 earnings by $6.55 to $137.54 per share, while a 10% reduction could boost 2017 earnings-per-share to $144.09. The improved calendar year 2017 S&amp;P 500 earnings growth rates would now be 17.4% and 23.0%, respectively, as opposed to the current 11.8% consensus expectations growth rate."</p>
<p>Given the current price-to-earnings ratio of the S&amp;P 500, a 10-percentage-point reduction would imply a 11% gain for the S&amp;P 500, to 2,450.</p>
<p><span>Additionally, the roll back of Dodd-Frank should be a boost&nbsp;for the financial industry, as evidenced by the fact the sector is among the best performing in the stock market since the election.</span></p>
<p>On the negative side, the push for infrastructure spending and barriers to trade could result in a serious uptick in inflation. With <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/inflation-pressures-under-president-trump-2016-11" target="_blank">inflationary pressures already building</a>, the price increases could cause the economy to overheat and the Federal Reserve to hike rates at a fast pace. That&nbsp;scenario, according to JPMorgan Asset Management Chief Global Strategist David Kelly, is <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/trumps-economic-plan-is-well-done-steak-and-putting-it-on-broil-2016-11">"<span>the biggest possible red flag" in the economy.</span></a></p>
<p>The&nbsp;combination of lower corporate taxes and lower personal taxes, plus the plan to spend a significantly larger amount on infrastructure, could&nbsp;cause a blow-out in the nation's debt.</p>
<p>Additionally,&nbsp;any imposition of trade barriers or labeling China a currency manipulator&nbsp;may lead to&nbsp;a trade war or, at the least, be a drag on economic growth, as noted by&nbsp;Jan Hatzius, chief economist at Goldman Sachs.</p>
<p>All of those outcomes, however, hinge&nbsp;on&nbsp;what the new Trump economic team chooses to prioritize, and if it&nbsp;can get the necessary legislation&nbsp;passed in the new Congress.</p><p><strong>SEE ALSO:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-trade-agenda-2016-11" >Trump's agenda on one of his signature campaign issues is starting to take shape</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/trump-mnuchin-ross-ricketts-treasury-commerce-economy-2016-12#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-election-president-social-media-restrained-60-minutes-twitter-2016-11">Trump goes on a tweetstorm less than 48 hours after promising to be more 'restrained' on Twitter</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/obama-on-leaving-the-white-house-2016-11Obama muses over what he'll miss about the White Househttp://www.businessinsider.com/obama-on-leaving-the-white-house-2016-11
Wed, 30 Nov 2016 22:53:00 -0500Louise Liu
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static5.businessinsider.com/image/583f986aba6eb637008b6e9e-2400/undefined" alt="Barack Obama" data-mce-source="Getty Images" data-mce-caption="Barack Obama" /></p><p>President Barack Obama opened up about what he will miss most as his second term in the White House comes to an end.</p>
<p>Before Obama <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/trump-obama-white-house-meeting-2016-11">greeted</a> the President-elect Donald Trump following the November 8 election, <a href="http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/features/obama-on-his-legacy-trumps-win-and-the-path-forward-w452527">he sat down with Rolling Stone magazine</a>, to reflect on the election, his legacy, and the future.</p>
<p>Obama recounted some celebrated moments, like the killing of Osama bin Laden and the passage of the Affordable Care Act, as well as some moving memories of his interactions with ordinary Americans.</p>
<p>But the president didn't drone on with big or small achievements. Instead, he spontaneously turned to his feelings deep down and gave a tribute to the White House team.</p>
<p>"I think the thing that I will miss the most about this place, the thing that can get me sentimental &ndash; and I try not to get too nostalgic, because I still got a bunch of work to do &ndash; it's the team we built here," Obama said, praising the young people working alongside him.</p>
<p><span>"What I will take away from this experience is them: seeing how </span><span>they work together, seeing the commitments they have made toward the issues that we care about," Obama said.</span></p>
<p><span><img src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/583f9965e02ba734008b6f47-2400/undefined" alt="Brian Deese stands behind Obama." data-mce-source="Getty Images" data-mce-caption="Brian Deese stands behind Obama." /></span></p>
<p>The president specifically pointed out <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/author/brian-deese">Brian Deese</a>, the 38-year-old senior advisor to the president, as an example of the talented staff working in his administration.</p>
<p><span>"Nobody outside of the White House necessarily knows Brian," Obama said. "<span>He engineered the Paris Agreement, the [Hydrofluorocarbons] Agreement, the Aviation Agreement, may have helped save the planet, and he's just doing it while he's got two babies at home, and could not be a better person."</span></span></p>
<p>Obama mentioned his connection with the staff, especially those who are younger, in other interviews, saying he has been encouraging those who were disappointed by the election of Trump.</p>
<p>In <a href="http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/11/28/obama-reckons-with-a-trump-presidency">a New Yorker profile</a> published earlier this month, Obama and his chief of staff, Denis McDonough were described as "almost like grief counsellors," during post-election conversations with White House staffers.</p>
<p><span><span>&ldquo;And one of the things that I have been telling my younger staff, who in some cases have only known politics through my presidency, is history doesn't travel in a straight line. And it zigs and it zags and sometimes you take two steps forward and then you take a step back,&rdquo; Obama told Rolling Stone.</span></span></p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/obama-on-leaving-the-white-house-2016-11#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/obama-washington-dc-president-white-house-kalorama-2016-11">Here’s the $5.3 million mansion the Obamas will live in after the White House</a></p>